Muchina among mzungus

“Mzungu” is the local word for foreigner; it was originally used to refer to Anglos. In Kampala, the locals make finer distinctions among the foreigners. “Muhindi” is used to refer to Indians, who are represented in relatively large numbers and seem to own a lot of the apartments and businesses. East Asians are rare; I think I’m the only “muchina” in my neighborhood. To say that I’m fish out of water is an understatement. I’m fish out of water, embalmed, and mounted on a wall covered with heads of game.

Last week, a few school girls heckled me as I was walking home from work. The leader of the brat pack started with, “Eh! Chinese! Kung fu!” She continued with “ching chong chang chong…” I engaged the group and spoke to them in English. Most of the girls were simply curious and wanted to know where I’m from, etc. The culprit prevented any meaningful dialogue, however, and had the nerve to ask me for money! Being the mature adult that I am, I told the girl to give me money to welcome me to Uganda. We haggled for a bit while the other girls giggled, then parted ways none the richer.

I’ve had a couple of “ching chong” shout-outs in America, but somehow didn’t expect that in Africa, even though muchinas are rarer here. I can’t help but wonder, is that what Chinese (or Japanese or Korean) sound like to people who don’t speak the language?